PEANUTS AS FOOD. Of the 4.000.000 bushels of peanuts raised yearly in the United States. 3,000. 000 bushels are used as roasted peanuts. :Many nuts are used in the manufacture of confectionery and peanut butter. The latter is prepared by grinding the nut and generally mixing it with a little water. Peanut oil is made in large quan tities in Europe from African-raised nuts. The shelled nut, eontain 30 to 50 per cent. of oil, which. if carefully made, is of good flavor, and is need for various culinary purposes and in the arts. The peanut is at present used more as a luxury or for eating at odd times than as a staple article of diet. It is. however. wholesome, nutri tious, and cheap. Little is definitely known con cerning its digestibility. It is apparently more easily digested if eaten with other foods than if eaten alone. Attempts to introduce peanut soups, chards resemble apple orchards in appearance except that the trees naturally grow much more pyramidal. When left to themselves they fre quently grow to a height of 60 feet or more. Pear flowers are usually white and borne on spurs that continue to bear fruit and to branch for years. The fruit is a pone, more juicy and melting or buttery than the apple, and less tart. It is one of the best dessert fruits, and is extensively used for canning, preserving. etc., and in some parts of Europe large quantities are used in the pro duction of eider or perry.
pears are grown over a wide territory in the temperate zones, the countries of largest pro duction are France and the United States. In America they stand fourth in importance among the orchard fruits. The best American pear dis tricts are found in the Northeastern States. from New England west to the Great Lakes, and in California and parts of Oregon and Washington. Blight seriously interferes with pear-growing in the South, while in the Northwest only the in ferior Russian sorts are hardy enough to thrive. The pear is grown in orchards, either as a stand ard or dwarf. Standard trees are produced by grafting or budding the variety which it is wished to grow upon a seedling pear; the best stock for the purpose is obtained by growing the seed of the wild pear of Europe. Dwarf trees are produced by grafting or budding on quince stock. Pears
thus treated seldom grow more than 12 to 15 feet high. They come into bearing earlier than standard trees, usually within four years from planting in the orchard, and are especially valua ble where land is expensive or for planting be tween other trees. Frequently dwarfing increases the size of the fruit and improves its quality.
The best soil for standard pears is a well drained heavy clay loam. Dwarf pears will do well on lighter soils. Rapid growth is not sought for in pear culture, since it is believed to favor the attacks of blight. For this reason, also, stable or other nitrogenous manures are not ad vocated for the pear orchard except on very poor soils. Trees are set in the orchard when two or three years from the bud, standard trees from IS to 25 feet apart each way, and dwarfs 10 to 16 feet. Dwarf trees are set deep, 4 to 6 inches below the union, to prevent growth of the stock and to lessen the danger from breaking off in storms. Cultivation is practiced only during the spring and early summer in order to prevent a ]ate, sappy wood growth. Recent investigations have clearly shown that many varieties of pears are self-sterile and must be planted with other varieties to cross-pallenize them in order to pro duce fruit. Such varieties should therefore never be planted in orchards alone. It is probable that almost any variety blossoming at the same time as these self-sterile sorts may be used as pal lenizers. In the orchard one or two rows of one variety should be alternated with one or two rows of another variety blossoming at the same time.
Pears are harvested before they are fully ripe and while they are still hard. Thus handled they acquire a better color and flavor, develop less grit in the flesh, and are less likely to decay at the core than when allowed to ripen on the tree. After picking they are stored in shallow boxes or racks in a cool room away from a]] draughts of air, which tend to shrivel up the fruit. Late winter pears may be ]eft on the trees as long as practic able before frost. Pears grown for market are gathered and placed in barrels or boxes at once. European and California fancy pears are wrapped in paper like oranges before marketing.